


Reassurances

by deaththerabbit



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Post-Graduation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 11:52:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14472189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deaththerabbit/pseuds/deaththerabbit
Summary: Corsets, lipstick smudges, and gentle reassurances.





	Reassurances

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired by the next event, and this is what happened.

Despite the fact that the audience gave them a standing ovation, Hokuto knew that their performance of Romeo and Juliet hadn’t gone quite as well as he had hoped. They had rehearsed dozens of times, and he was not satisfied with his own performance.

When the scene where he was to discover Juliet, played by his boyfriend, Wataru, lying supposedly dead, the tears he had cried for the performance had not been fake. They had been real, painful tears, and he was worried that Wataru may have realized that fact.

It seemed as if he and Wataru always received the parts of doomed lovers, and while he loved performing with Wataru, he couldn’t help but worry that it might be a sign from the universe. He knew it was ridiculous and irrational, but he couldn’t keep himself from wondering if that were actually the case.

It had been two years since he had graduated from Yumenosaki, and he had started to make a name for himself, with fewer people comparing him to his mother with every performance. It had also been two years since he had managed to surprise Wataru for once, instead of it being the other way around, by asking him out on a date.

They had been together ever since, rarely performing without the other. It guaranteed that they had time to spend together, since they went to rehearsals together and performed together. It was almost perfect, and Hokuto would feel guilty for asking for more, though he wished they had the chance to perform something less tragic together.

Perhaps it was the fact that Wataru had so many men and women fawning over him now because of his emotionally charged performances along with the tragedies they performed together that Hokuto felt somewhat insecure in their relationship.

Shaking his head, Hokuto fled for his dressing room the moment that the curtains dropped and shielded them from view. He didn’t want Wataru to see how real his tears were. He didn’t want Wataru to worry about him.

Hokuto closed the door to his dressing room and locked it. He let out a sigh and went over to the cracked and dusty mirror, staring into it at his tear-stained face. For a few moments, he just stood there, staring at himself.

It was ridiculous, really, that he would worry about something as outlandish as the universe giving him signs that he and Wataru were not meant to be. Then again, Wataru himself was an outlandish individual, and if Hokuto didn’t know any better, he would have thought that Wataru were someone not of this world, and instead some sort of ethereal fairy that chose instead to entertain the world he held at his fingertips, rather than manipulate it as a fairy could.

Hokuto shook his head and rubbed away his drying tears. There would be nothing that could fix the puffiness around his eyes or how red they looked at this point, so he didn’t bother trying.

Instead, he left his dressing room and slowly made his way to Wataru’s at the other end of the halls. He hesitated for only a moment before knocking on the door that bore Wataru’s name hand painted by Wataru himself.

“Hokuto?” Wataru’s cheerful voice came through the heavy wooden door loud and clear.

“Yes, it’s me. Can I come in?” Hokuto replied, listening as Wataru thumped over to the door. He heard the lock click undone and slipped into the room as soon as the door opened.

For the moment, Hokuto avoided looking at Wataru, instead steering him over to the stool to sit down. He had already guessed that Wataru was having difficulty getting his corset off. He always needed help putting it on, and then getting it back off. Hokuto rarely had time to help Wataru put it on, busy with his own show preparations, but he always helped Wataru take it off.

“Sit still, okay?” Hokuto stepped behind Wataru and carefully undid the ribbon that kept the corset as tight as it needed to be. He frowned faintly, realizing just how tight the corset was when he began to loosen the laced ribbon.

The corset had been laced so tight that Hokuto had difficulty working the ribbon loose. He gently slipped his fingers between the ribbon and Wataru’s warm skin, noting the deep impressions that the fabric had left.

A sigh of relief escaped Wataru’s lips as the corset began to loosen around his ribcage. He drew in a deep breath that he had not been able to manage before and caught his breath. He opened his mouth to speak, but Hokuto beat him to the punch.

“You shouldn’t wear these so tightly. I don’t want you hurting yourself.” He spoke softly, pulling loose the last ribbon and helping Wataru slip out of the corset. He gently ran his hands across the deep marks the corset had left on Wataru’s skin, hoping to ease the pain the corset must have caused him.

Wataru leaned back into his touch and tilted his head back to peer up at Hokuto. “It has to be tight. You must remember how it is. You wore one back when we performed this together for the very first time.” He smiled up at Hokuto. “I still think that was our best performance together.”

Hokuto smiled faintly as he remembered the anything but ordinary performance of Romeo and Juliet in his second year at Yumenosaki, and Wataru’s third. “I agree.” His smiled faded slightly when he felt rather than heard Wataru’s sharp intake of breath when his fingers rubbed across his sore ribs. “You’re hurting yourself by wearing this thing so tightly, though, and I don’t want that.”

“Ah, I’m just fine, though! You needn’t worry about me! I’m not the one looking as if the world has just ended, after all!” Wataru reached up and rubbed at a stray tear that had slipped down Hokuto’s cheek. “Why are you crying?”

Hokuto’s hands stilled for a moment, and he frowned. “Do...do you ever wonder if the universe is trying to tell us that we’re not meant to be by giving us so many parts as characters that never end up together happily? Are there no happy endings we can have? Are we not meant to be? I know it’s irrational, but…” He sighed helplessly.

“Hokuto, look at me.” Wataru waited patiently until Hokuto did as he was told.

“What is it?” Hokuto asked softly, staring down into Wataru’s beautiful purple eyes.

When Wataru spoke next, his words were as dramatic as they always were, but the tone in which he spoke them was soft and serious in a way that Hokuto had forgotten he could speak.

“I don’t care if the universe is trying to tell us that we’re not meant to be. Not even the universe could keep me from you. God himself would not be able to pry you from my arms. Even if we’re separated by time or distance, I will never stop loving you. The universe does not dictate whether or not we’re meant to be. We do. For now and all time, I am yours to do with as you please.” He wiped away another tear that had slipped from Hokuto’s eye and offered him a gentle smile.

Hokuto couldn’t but smile at Wataru’s words. He leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. He pulled away again and gently began to undo the braid in Wataru’s hair, running his fingers through it to smooth out the waves the braid had made.

“Thanks.” He said softly, working his hands through Wataru’s hair methodically as he leaned down to give him another kiss. Growing stern for a moment, he leaned back and watched Wataru. “I’m serious about what I said before. You need to stop wearing that corset so tightly.”

Wataru frowned a little and stared up into Hokuto’s serious blue eyes. “How about you help me put it on instead of the new stage hand, then? I would much rather have your hands on me, than his.” He leaned back, resting his head against Hokuto and closing his eyes, a mischievous smile growing on his face.

“Very well. That way, I can make sure that you won’t hurt yourself.” Hokuto brought his hands back up to Wataru’s head and gently began to massage his scalp, knowing the headaches Wataru sometimes got when the hair stylist braided his hair too tightly. He knew just how to soothe them and enjoyed the feeling of Wataru’s hair in his hands. “I actually have an idea, though…”

“Hm…?” Wataru almost missed the last thing he said, focused on Hokuto’s gentle touch. “Is it as amazing as I think it will be?”

“Probably not quite as amazing as you’re hoping it to be, but I think you’ll like it.” Hokuto gently rubbed his thumbs along Wataru’s temples and smiled faintly at the relieved noise he made. “How about we start swapping roles every few shows? That way, you can take a break from wearing that corset. We already know each other’s roles by heart anyway, and we can surprise the rest of the cast and the stage director next show. It would be a nice change.”

A loud peal of laughter escaped Wataru’s lips, and he opened his eyes to stare up at Hokuto with a wide grin. “I would definitely enjoy that. It’s an amazing idea.” He reached up and threaded his fingers in Hokuto’s hair, pulling him down for a kiss.

Hokuto snorted and returned the kiss, his hands slipping down to Wataru’s bare shoulders.

It was at that point that he noticed the faint giggles coming from the other side of the door. Hokuto could tell that it was none of the other cast members or stage hands because the giggles were so high pitched. He wondered if they were fans that had snuck backstage. Either way, they were harmless.

He pulled away from Wataru gently. “We have company.” He whispered, straightening up a little. He didn’t notice the smudged lipstick Wataru had left on his lips and the corner of his mouth. “We should go home.” Truth be told, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to snuggle up against Wataru and fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat now that his irrational fears had been quashed.

“Ah, indeed we should!” Wataru leapt to his feet, grabbing his street clothes and changing into them faster than the blink of an eye. “Onwards, we go!” He grabbed Hokuto’s hand and dragged him over to the door despite the fact that he hadn’t had the chance to change out of his costume yet.

Hokuto supposed it didn’t matter that he still wore his costume, since they didn’t have another show until the next week. He could easily return it the next day.

The moment Wataru opened the door, two teenage girls stumbled backwards, staring up at the pair with starry eyes. It took a few moments before they could articulate what they wanted, though Hokuto had already sort of guessed. “C-can we get a picture with you?” The taller of the two asked nervously.

Wataru bowed low and rose back up with a wide grin. “Why, of course you can!” He pulled Hokuto close and stood behind the two girls while they both fumbled with their phones. It took a few tries to get the picture right and the girls ended up with more than they had expected. “Tag us in these if you post them!”

The two girls squealed and nodded rapidly at them before running off, gleefully chattering amongst themselves.

Hokuto smiled faintly as they scampered off before turning his attention back to Wataru. “You’re too nice.” He teased.

“And you have lipstick smudged on your face!” Wataru leaned close and pressed his lips against Hokuto’s again, leaving a more prominent smear of lipstick on his face. He pulled away, only to dip in close again and kiss his cheek this time, leaving lipstick marks wherever his lips touched. Perhaps it was his way of claiming Hokuto as his own.

Either way, it was incredibly embarrassing for Hokuto, clear by the way his face went red. “Oh my god. You let them take the picture without telling me?” He shook his head slowly, trying to process that. Then he decided to just let it go. It was not the weirdest thing for Wataru to have done. “Ah, let’s just go home…” He sighed, certain that those pictures would end up all over the internet.

Wataru slipped his arm around Hokuto’s waist and steered him down the hall with a triumphant smile on his face. “Yes, let’s.” He rested his head against Hokuto’s shoulder as they went, confident that they would spend the rest of their lives together.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm glad I got this done before the event started, because I am going to try to rank. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this lil thing???


End file.
